The Secret
by bevesy
Summary: Azula looked like the toddler who stole a jar of gingered crystals and finally confessed to her little sin. But this proved much bigger, and horrifying, to the point where Ursa almost - almost - wanted to slap her.' Azula drops the biggest bomb on her family when an assassin attempts to kill her daughter. UNDER REVISION.
1. Chapter 1

**The Secret**

* * *

Right under their noses.

It happened just like that, in the dead of night around the time few night guards roamed the palace and Ursa just returned from her nightly stroll in the R0yal Gardens after Zuko's twenty-fifth birthday celebration ended.

Kiyi's heels clacked as she walked to the doors, make-up laden face sweaty. "Did you call Azula-"

" _Yes!_ She should be coming any moment," the older woman snapped.

Ursa stood in heels, with rich gold brocade complementing red lips. Her flowered headdress remained intact over a tight topknot. Mai, Kiyi, and a few guards stood in Ursa's bedroom chambers. The elderly woman clutched the baby close to her chest, stunned at the way a tiny body could shake that much in one's arms.

Despite hawk-like shaped eyes and a face Zuko called potentially deadly for the many suitors already being paired with the baby, Sayo also inherited her mother's cry - a loud and piercing sound chilling enough for the entire palace to hear her when an assassin broke into her room and proceeded to burn her right leg.

"She's still hurting," Mai said gravelly from her seat on the edge of Ursa's bed as the older woman swayed the petrified baby back and forth.

Doors slammed open. Ursa's white marbled dragon statue atop her vanity almost toppled over. "Where is she?" That tremble in the voice seemed unfamiliar. Azula never sounded like this.

"Azula, I had no idea-"

"Give her to me."

Her daughter's low tone forced her to hand the child, whose arms already reached out, over to the mother of five months. Ursa stepped back, knowing the three guards in her bedroom along with Mai and Kiyi, watched Azula in simple terror and amazement.

Azula's face remained covered in sweat, her black and gold dragon insignia armor gleamed under the candlelight. Sayo quieted as soon as the young mother murmured in her ears, her body twitching less the more her mother rubbed her back.

They all saw the burn on Sayo's calf, a print the size of her tiny fist, red and angry. Azula knew how to do one thing well, and that was to hide her naked fury, shown in the way she stared at Sayo's trembling face before the infant broke down again.

Azula turned to Ursa, child now snuggled close to her heart. Ursa already knew what her daughter wanted with a single look.

"Get her father."

Ursa frowned, "Azula, Chan is still in Ba Sing Se on a-"

" _Her_ father."

The quiet look Azula gave her loosened the grip she took clasping her hands. Ursa didn't notice the others, who stood as still as she did regarding the armored princess standing in the middle of the room. Suddenly, Azula looked like the toddler who stole a jar of gingered creeping crystals and finally confessed to her little sin. But this proved much bigger, and horrifying, to the point where Ursa almost - _almost -_ wanted to slap her.

Instead, she let these words slip out, "How dare you, Azula?"

* * *

 **End Note** \- Another experiment. I don't know how this'll end.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Secret**

* * *

"I'm getting married."

Azula stopped reading the scroll she took from the Fire Temple's old archives. She and Avatar Aang just left the conference after the festival a week ago and decided to stay at the Fire Temple for the weekend before reaching the Fire Palace. She nodded, "That's good news."

Aang walked up, looking like he wasn't sure if she heard him, "I'm truly sorry for what happened between us. I didn't mean-"

"I know, Avatar Aang. It didn't mean much and I want you to know that I don't expect for you to see me the same way you see Lady Katara. She's a lovely woman."

She could almost feel his stare burning her on the spot. She didn't know what to do with them, knowing that just as soon as they watched her like she was the only woman standing, they switched back to how they'd see a sorry fan.

He smiled, "Thanks. I'm glad you...understand."

"Good. Then you should understand this."

Her body moved on its own accord. She didn't get why she walked to get the ceramic vase resting on a tiny dresser near Agni's golden stature, but she did so anyway with freshly manicured red nails. She turned to him, now seeing what she truly felt as his dark brows jumped up.

Aang ducked just in time as porcelain shattered on black walls.

* * *

...

Aang watched a young woman in red slipped through back glass snaked doors. She quietly sidestepped the guests up top.

"The nations of the world have one obligation from now onwards, and that is to set up peaceful negotiations throughout our post-war era. We owe it to our children to assure no other war, such as the one under Lord Ozai's reign, will damage…"

His speech, that managed to silence the four hundred attendants at the North Water Tribe's Annual Summit for two minutes, faltered the moment she began walking downstairs. The young woman was Katara's personal assistant, Suluk, and she did not come interrupt his meetings unattended unless she had bad news.

The attendants turned to find Suluk coming down the steps, breaking out into whispers and murmurs. Suluk looked as though she'd seen a ghost. She came forward over the podium to whisper in his ear.

"Lady Katara needs to speak with you."

"Can you tell her-"

"It is urgent, Avatar Aang."

A few minutes later, he read the scroll given to him alone, listening to Zuko's messenger hawk squawk by the windows of his guest bedroom. _A terrorist attacked Princess Sayo. We need your help._ Aang kept reading the letter over again, his hands trembling as Katara watched with her arms folded. Her midnight blue gown she wanted to wear for the ending ceremony after the summit, shimmered.

"It happened late at night. Guards broke in but the criminal got away." Katara said. "Zuko needs you to explain why a New Ozai Society terrorist would target Princess Azula's baby."

He looked up in time to see his wife's stormy expression. That's when it hit him. Suluk stood in a far corner, fiddling with her hands. Katara took a newspaper from the table next to her and walked forward to slam it in his hands.

"Katara, what is it-"

"Read the paper, Aang!"

Aang slowly unraveled the rolled up paper, straightening the front to find Princess Sayo's face staring back at him. She'd been nestled over General Chan's shoulder when the photographers took her photo.

Two months ago, this same photo braced the headlines - _Princess Azula and General Chan's Adorable New Princess!_ But Sayo's gray eyes looked as confused as he did over the large bold text underneath -

 _Is Princess Sayo the Avatar's Daughter?_

* * *

…

Azula stroked Sayo's hair as she slept. The palace gardener, Jiao, watered firelilies growing right by a brick shed.

Sayo nestled over her shoulder, her right leg bundled in gauze. Xiulan Long, the family physician, came just as the sun began to rise. Sayo squealed in pure agony as the old woman tended her wounds. Azula could only sit by, hold her child's arms around her little body and watch.

Grass crunched behind her. Since Zuko was out avoiding more of the press in his long study, and Mai, at a little tea gathering with an associate, she wasn't surprised to see her Kiyi's figure appear.

"Zuko sent me a confirmation that Avatar Aang's coming, " Kiyi murmured, watching the servant tend the gardens. "He's going to clear Sayo's scar."

"When should we expect him here?"

"Tomorrow evening," Kiyi replied, "and Lady Katara had ahold of the Four Nation Daily."

"...I understand."

The last thing she wanted to hear was that. She didn't want to remember the cold squeeze in her chest seeing her daughter's face large and center on the cover days after she confessed to her family. She didn't want to remember the morning after she'd been with Sayo's father, who told her in the nicest way possible, that he wanted nothing else to do with her after their brash fling when she worked as his personal assistant.

She especially didn't want to remember the shouting match she had with her mother, who still found it acceptable to prod into her private life even when they've never had a friendly talk in their life.

"Cherry Blossom Festival."

Azula blinked in her little sister's direction. "What?"

Kiyi grinned, stepping up on sit on the grass.

"I calculated everything," she said, gesturing over to Sayo. "He put that gorgeous baby in you when you had to work with him in the Fire Colonies."

Azula scoffed and looked away.

"And you know what else I think?"

Sayo flinched, earning a peck on her forehead from her mother, "What?"

"You messed with him many times before, before and while he'd been engaged."

The Fire princess scoffed, "Why would you ever assume that?"

"The Azula I've known since I was six never slept with losers on the streets."

Loud steps fluttered behind them. Azula turned in time to find guards rushing across the open corridors. The gardener stopped watering but soon returned to her work. Today was the day her husband returned home from Ba Sing Se, and she knew he already read the papers.

Her husband's figure appeared through the corridors. He looked just as she expected.

"You're in big trouble, Kiyi sang.

* * *

….

"Lady Ursa,"

Ursa nodded at the man bowing before her. A few guards stood by the doors into the low lit atrium while her maid, Ming, placed a tray of tea between her and Aang. The Avatar at the Fire Palace in the evening didn't sit well with her. The Aang she knew smiled like any normal politician, shaking hands of admirers who shouted his name on streets from Ba Sing Se to the Northern Water Tribe's capital and giving speeches that landed on history books.

"Avatar Aang," she responded. She stood in her plain robes as a gush of cold air brushed her figure, "I wish the circumstances surrounding your visit were different. I and the rest of Azula's family are very upset. Her husband just arrived this morning..."

"I know, I'm as confused as you are, Lady Ursa," he rose, his cheeks lifting despite his heavily bagged eyes and slumped stature, "but I am very eager to meet with Azula and Princess Sayo."

The man she knew remained a complete public figure, armed with only bows and warm twinkling gray eyes within orange and yellow robes and a familiar rosary around his neck. But this man who entered the palace was a complete stranger, in a simple brown tunic with an overgrown beard. He arrived with Appa, landing on the palace courtyard without stopping to acknowledge the guards bowing before him.

"I must ask about your wife, who is at the Northern Water Tribe Summit as we speak. Where does she stand in this?"

Aang's smile did not falter, but Ursa could see that his eyes grew wider as he said, "I understand this is not what you expected, Lady Ursa. But I have not slept in the past three days and I just recently received this news."

Ursa clenched her fists. She waited for the silence to eat at him slowly. "I never have fights with my daughter. Azula's always been detached from all of us, especially me. I trusted you to bridge that gap when you befriended her in her healing days. I never expected much when you both went on to Crescent Island together on the condition that you both went there as Avatar and personal assistant."

"Lady Ursa-"

" _Don't!_ " Ursa shook, her tea-cup trembling at her loud and strange voice, "She told me a month after you left the Fire Nation to marry your wife. She said it was a mistake from a one night stand. Did you know how I found out about the child? A maid old me Azula scheduled an appointment to get an abortion after she drank bloodroot for two weeks to induce a miscarriage. Zuko interrogated her for hours in her bedroom until she confessed and she still lied to all of us about the child's father because the truth was that he was a highly respected political figure who had just gotten married after using her for his own satisfaction. So don't you dare try to calm me down!"

Ursa did not notice that the doors into the atrium had opened. Her voice echoed, forcing the guards and Xiulan to stay still. Another servant had entered, and Ursa knew it was because of Azula.

The boy blinked quietly. "Lord Zuko would like to see Avatar Aang."

* * *

 **End Note -** More soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Secret**

* * *

...

Azula was the perfect woman.

Zuko invited him to the palace to recoup after a short visit to Shu Jing. Aang needed a personal assistant. A young woman named Ming just got in the process of moving to Ba Sing Se to meet him after his visit with Zuko.

But one day, Aang sat in the gardens by himself while his best friend left to fetch something. The morning breeze calmed his wired nerves, but it was his visitor who grabbed his attention.

A dark haired woman emerged out of open corridors. She wore crimson gold trimmed sleeping robes. Everything stopped when the stranger came close, seeming to walk past but noticing him sitting there by himself with a cup of jasmine tea.

"Good day, Avatar."

The stranger, who turned out to be the person he least expected, walked away. In that fleeting moment's thought, throughout the hidden, unknown, filthy part of his mind, Aang almost pictured this woman riding him on the rough sheets of his four poster bed in the Southern Temple. _Almost._

Aang ended up hiring Azula instead of Ming. It was the best career move he could ever make.

Azula had a way about her that forced politicians to thread carefully around him. Meetings ended on the dot. She had him up at four every morning with a long agenda to complete. Events happened as planned, his paperwork neatly stacked in the corner of his desk with a pen ready for him to begin signing for the day. Summits and gala event became much easier to handle.

Their partnership had been professional. There were no if, and or buts. Azula showed no signs of thinking the same way he did about her. She had been a complete machine, fixated on one and only purpose – to make his life as Avatar, a smooth ride.

But the tiny dirty fantasy lurking in his mind happened on a cold Saturday morning. The Southern Air Temple stood empty, and he remembered the clouds being so thick that he couldn't see the steps leading down to the land. He retired to his study for the entire day without seeing Azula, who was given a break.

After work, he came to his bedroom to find Azula resting there on her stomach - _naked._ "I'm sorry-"

"Don't behave as if this isn't your room," she murmured, resting her chin on her folded arms after flipping her hair back. "Come lie down with me."

Azula kissed like the world ended. He made a mistake, and swore he'd never do it again. But an hour after they copulated, he woke her up to take her again.

* * *

...

"Aang should be here any moment. You should get ready."

Zuko didn't want to leave his study. Suki's position made the sun blind her figure near the terrace balcony. Only she guarded him in his study, minus the two commanding officers he stationed outside. Though Suki was one, she had the strength of ten woman, and Zuko felt confident that he'd be safe no matter where he went with her. He kept staring at the Kyoshi Warrior until she tilted her chin.

" _Hello?"_

"Yes, I'm…" he paused. Suki's blue eyes reminded him of the glowing crystals he remembered when he went to the Northern Water Tribe on the day of Aang's wedding to Katara. "Stressed. I'm stressed, I'm tired and I'm pissed that someone snuck into my niece's room to burn her leg."

The silence between them thickened. Zuko looked calmed. Uncle Iroh's trusty tapioca tea stood near a recent letter from his Head of Treasury. Suki walked until Zuko could see her painted face.

"Try not to be so hard on him." She placed a palm on his shoulder. "I...I think you need to clear things out. I'm surprised myself."

"My sister did not need to mess around with him, and he knew that."

"Your sister went through a lot, but she was an adult, Zuko-"

"He should have known better. Don't you tell me that I need to remain calm."

Suki paused. "Oh? And forget you committed the same atrocities he did?"

Zuko turned away, focusing on the same letter by his tea. He listened to the shudder in Suki's voice as she walked away. He listened until she stood back in her position, her breathing shaky.

Zuko did not trust himself to look up. He would never look at Suki with the normalcy he once had.

The doors opened. Zuko spotted a young boy enter. "The Avatar is here."

* * *

...

Azula watched her husband's parents tip toe around their son's slumped form over the oak desk nestled in the meeting chamber's corner. Admiral Chan Sr. and Lady Xiulan looked like parrots in the midst of being plucked.

"It's unfortunate that what happened earlier has led to such a scandal, Princess Azula."

Azula glanced at the elderly man. "I thought _he_ wanted to speak to me."

"We thought it was best for you to hear our grievances," Admiral Chan Sr. said, fist clenched, as he stepped a little close to her. "You publicly announce that my son is the father of your child, only for you to turn around five months after her birth and say he's not!"

"Don't pretend you didn't have much to gain."

Chan's mother, Lady Xiulan, shifted on a burgundy loveseat. Glimmering in red brocade, she rose. The old hag did not like her very much.

She met Chan's mother the day she married him. Chan did not take after the old plump squashy faced troll, and she was satisfied that that troll did not want to help her prepare for the wedding. Azula had been the most stressed that night, her belly slightly protruding while the entire nation scorned her for her predicament.

While Azula's mother gave her all the medicines and advice to prepare for her firstborn, Lady Xiulan only spent her hours out with her old friends drinking tea. Azula was relieved when Sayo decided to arrive the night Chan and his family left on their own separate vacations.

"I see that you feel no remorse for what you've just done."

"I'm the last person you should tell that too," Azula responded. "I do thinks strictly adhering to the well-being and safety of my daughter. What you and anyone else have to say has nothing to do with me."

The elder man paused. He scoffed, looking away. Chan finally straightened and turned towards her.

"Leave us," he said.

Admiral Chan Sr. turned. "Let us handle this-"

"I'd like to have a conversation with my wife. Now, please leave."

Azula keep her gaze right on the pair. Chan's mother huffed when Azula keep staring with her arms folded.

When the pair finally left, Chan released a great sigh. "J guess this ends here."

"...you're not upset?"

Chan scoffed, "You gave me a lift in the army, Azula. I gotta thank you for that."

She scoffed, walking forward to sit on the gold snaked loveseat. One that looked an awful lot like the one Sayo was conceived on. "But this doesn't look too good. How's her dad taking it?"

"I haven't seen him yet." Azula thought about Kiyi not too far away from where she would have to meet Aang again. She knew that Sayo should be up by now with a warm bottle of milk from her grandmother because Kiyi mentioned traveling to their mother's room.

"I did. He looked calm." Chan murmured.

She shook her head. If anyone knew the real Aang like she did, they'd know that his calm face belied something only she saw the last time they saw each other. She just had Sayo, who was two months at the time. Zuko threw a celebration for the child's naming ceremony. Aang was the one who blessed the baby. And when he held Sayo in his arms, there was a fleeting moment where he silently stared at her.

If looks could speak, she knew he asked if Sayo was his.

Yet Azula kept her lips shut, and Aang looked away.

* * *

...

The last time he visited Zuko, they slapped their knees and laughed while they spoke of how much of an idiot King Kuei could be at times. Aang knew that if Lady Ursa was angry enough to give him that talk, Zuko would be worse.

It didn't prove difficult noticing the guards standing nearby

Suki did nothing but nod at him. When Aang arrived, Zuko ordered for him to follow him into the meeting chamber, where ten elderly robed men sat around a glazed table. The men looked modest in their simple garments, but Aang recognized Zuko's advisors and other politicians from the Royal Plaza. He spent the next twenty minutes watching Zuko murmur to his advisors at the head of the table. Finally, Zuko looked in his direction.

The meeting commenced. Zuko's advisor, Jiang Chen, cleared his throat.

"Firelord Zuko would like to thank you for coming. But, it's clear why you'd rush all the way over here from the Northern Water Tribe in the first place, Avatar Aang."

The old man's twinkling eyes prompted an easy smile from him. Politics always came first. Jiang Chen took a tiny scroll from another elder fellow. Unrolling it, he handed an ink pen over to Aang.

"This is Princess Sayo's birth certificate. It was signed by General Chan and Azula when she was born. We have complete permission from Firelord Zuko and Princess Azula to modify it."

He heard slight steps from behind. The newcomer passed with a gentle cloud of soft spiced jasmine. Azula never liked making grand entrances, but her presence was enough to snatch the room's attention. She wore a light royal robe, and her hair fell down her shoulders. Red lips remained in a straight line. Aang didn't understand why the gnawing urge he felt anytime he stared at her, returned.

Jiang Chen placed the document in front of Aang, who already held the pen given to him.

"Raise up your right hand." Aang did.

"Do you, Avatar Aang, recognize and accept the terms given to you? That you are the biological father and legal guardian of Princess Sayo of the Fire Nation, and that from now onwards, you will share full and complete custody with Princess Azula over Princess Sayo?"

" _I do."_

"Sign."

And as soon as he did, painstakingly putting ink on paper, a burning sensation erupted within his chest. He could feel Zuko's livid gaze and the stunned expressions from the onlookers. They did not expect him to sign in the blink of an eye. He pushed the signed document back.

Azula looked away.

Zuko shifted, glancing at both Aang and Azula, "Let's begin."

* * *

...

 **End Note** – I know. I disappeared, mostly because of a crazy period besides applying for graduate schools. I now live by a lake and have way more time on my hands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

* * *

 **...**

"An attack like this on any child is unheard of. We do not know who snuck into Princess Sayo's room, but we suspect a palace servant did it," Jiang Chen said.

Zuko rubbed his face. "I've ordered for interrogations on every suspected candidate but the officials found nothing. A physician inspected her this morning. He said that the suspect didn't touch Sayo. He...or she, walked into her room and blew fire onto her leg, knowing she'd scream."

Aang ignored the ache in his chest. He looked at Azula, who still did not return his gaze. Deep in thought, she kept her eyes towards her brother with her hands hidden under the table.

Aang couldn't keep traces of the many faces, shrewd and tired over the silent planning surrounding an infant. An infant whose pictures made him stop several times and wonder, _'What if he followed what he wanted for once?'._ The last time he wanted to follow his dreams, he ended up in an iceberg for a hundred years.

"The goal now is to have the Avatar heal her while we move as fast as we can," Jiang Chen said. "After that, put the palace on lockdown and keep a circle around the child at all times. Princess Azula has left her post as political advisor to guard Princess Sayo, and I'm sure Avatar Aang won't mind helping."

"Of course," he murmured.

Zuko looked up again with the same, heavily veiled fury he held when Aang signed the birth certificate. "I'll have Azula set up a guest room for you. You both decide when it's time for the healing. After that, you'll contact me and I'll attend the session."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Zuko said, "If it'd been up to me, I'd burn you first before you healed my niece."

Light murmured shriveled up to silence. Tension, thickened into a heavy cloud. The attendants of the room, including Suki, squirmed. Aang prided himself on his manners, but he had a tiny problem. Aang did not like being threatened.

He kept his composure, watching the silent smug expression on the other man's face as he leaned over to speak to Jiang Chen.

Zuko straightened. "This meeting's over. You can follow Azula out."

Aang finally took his chances and casted a soft gaze towards the woman he left. Azula backed away, stood up, slid through the members of the chambers and gestured towards the door. Her golden eyes met his for the first time since he left her. They were light a warn, like the jasmine perfume sending Aang went into a heady daze.

Aang followed.

* * *

…

Mai saw Azula step out first, turning to the opposite direction of the corridor with the Avatar's tall figure looming behind. As courteous as ever, he noticed her standing by and nodded with a charming smile. She returned the favor with a lazy wave, confirming the suspicions she had since she first saw Sayo's red wrinkled face. The baby looked nothing like General Chan, but had a peculiar expression anytime she laughed.

It's clear where she got that from, and Mai held no judgement over Azula's choice. Once the figures of Princess Sayo's parents disappeared, Mai saw the other politicians leave, before hearing a few murmurs echo out of the room. She waited until she spotted a dark haired woman in a green uniform walk out after a few minutes.

"Is Zuko inside?"

Suki flinched, turning to Mai. Mai noticed that Suki didn't pin her now longer hair up like the other warriors did. Her fiancee's personal guard nodded, gave her a bow and walked away. The Firelady kept watching the Kyoshi warrior move down the corridors.

She entered the meeting chambers. Zuko as in the midst of signing a few documents until she knocked on the opened doors.

"Long day?" she asked.

"I want to kill him, but I can't because Azula will kill me first."

Mai scoffed, sitting on the other end of the long table. "She'd want to kill him first."

Zuko chuckled. "How're the three rugrats?"

"Your mom, little sister and niece are not rugrats."

Mai contemplated on the way Zuko slouched, releasing a great sigh. She remembered the days where he was easy to read, to annoy and to love. Now, despite all the years she has known him, Mai began to feel as though he changed without her knowing. Mai moved until she touched his shoulder.

"Come on, let's go for a walk," she said, taking his hand.

* * *

...

Azula still loved him.

One look at his baby gray eyes and bushy beard, and she still loved him. He was the only man who could anger her into oblivion and get her to melt into a puddle with one look.

Azula tried to ignore the tall presence walking alongside her. Aang stood a head and a half taller, and she hated it. It meant he hovered over her like a plague, and he was hard to get rid of.

It has been so long, and the most they could do was listen to Zuko speak for almost an hour over the state of her daughter's protection.

Aang did the first part of his responsibility. The second part now involved healing his daughter's burned leg. "How many months along is she?"

"Almost five," Azula answered.

Sayo had to be guarded around the clock, and for the past few days since that ordeal, the infant had no issues cuddling with her mother each night. Azula made a quick left.

She reached her mother's chambers, calmed by the sound of Sayo gurgling. Kiyi and Ursa gently chattered. Azula stopped.

This was it, the moment where her lies slapped her right in the face. Azula's hands sweated as she grasped dragon head handles back, spotting her mother's back turned to her while Kiyi sat far off on a blue loveseat. Sayo's little body nestled in the crook of her grandmother's arms. Azula watched the baby turn to her.

"Hi Avatar Aang!" Kiyi greeted with her signature trouble making grin. Of course she'd know Azula didn't need to be reminded he was here. Kiyi rushed to hug him."Good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you too, Princess Kiyi."

"Oh my! Look at mama, Sayo," Ursa cooed, bouncing the smiling infant in her arms. The baby's smile tugged her chest. When Sayo's chubby cheeks rose with a happy squeal, Azula felt glad that a human like this could exist.

Sayo smelled freshly washed, with a dash of scented oil her mother used on she and Zuko when they were young. Minding the child's bound leg, took by the armpits and kissed her cheek. Azula hugged her close and let her settle in her arms.

It did not take long for Sayo to spot Aang.

Azula watched Kiyi gestured to their mother. "I think we'll leave you guys alone. Right mom?"

When Ursa glared in Aang's direction, Kiyi gently led her away, patting her on the back. Now Aang and Azula were left alone for the first time since he came. The only difference now was Sayo, who still remained enclosed in her mother's arms. Azula watched the little girl regard Aang with curiosity. Sayo's tiny hands clutched her shoulders.

"Guess who this is, Sayo?" Azula murmured, inching the child forward. Sayo didn't object.

Aang, being the Avatar, worked wonders. He had a way with children, but Sayo proved a little tough. His smile disarmed her. But it didn't take long for Sayo's cheeks to rise. Azula moved her forward a little, until the baby started to lean over. Aang started to distort his face, which did the trick as Aang reached out to hold her.

Magic filled the room, watching father and daughter bond as though they were old time strangers. Azula almost missed the question Aang asked.

"What?"

Aang remained laser focused on the baby, "When do I start with the healing?" He let the child snuggle in his arms. Azula knew he increased his body temperature, providing warmth to the baby who squealed and parted her father's chest. This was Sayo's little way of accepting strangers.

"Tomorrow morning."

* * *

….

Hours later, Suki used what was left of her break to go to the quiet study she discovered a year into her work with Zuko. The tiny study had shelves that stood all the way up to it's black bordered ceiling, etched with snaked dragons reaching out to the yellow sun in the center.

She knew Zuko was in the gardens with Mai, his wife to be. She heard heavy footsteps behind. Suki did not acknowledge the way the flames over the torches in the study, shifted.

"I figured you'd be here." Zuko said.

"Is my break already over?"

She heard him shifting. "I'm sorry about the way I spoke to you. I didn't mean to come off like that. For what it's worth...I hope we can get past what happened in Ba Sing Se and be like the way we used to be."

Suki watched the large tapestry in front. Lord Azulon gazed back with a calm low lidded expression. Anytime she needed to breath, she came into this same room to watch a man who, in a most terrible way possible, became a constant in her life.

"That's the thing...we can't go back to the way we used to be." Suki murmured. "I've laid with men before enough to know when something is easy to forget."

She turned around to watch the royally clad man before her. This was the boy who once burned down her village, and he was now the man who burned her with one look.

"Suki-"

"You and I weren't drunk. Your eyes were wide open. You knew what you were doing just as I knew." Suki reached for her belt, watching the way Zuko's gaze narrowed. "You had me on a table, in the showers, near a lake…in your guestroom."

She carefully peeled her clothing away, listening to the gentle clangs her armor made on impact. The toasty air touched her bare skin. Zuko didn't budge. His eyes glimmered. Suki inched back to sit on the oak desk behind her.

"I saw you watch me change enough times while I swam in your pool to know it what would come. So don't stand there and tell me to move on, Firelord Zuko."

She knew she had her own scars, etched over her body in white streaks. Suki prided herself of owning her imperfections, and not being afraid for a man to walk out on her just because she wasn't so pure.

Suki shivered as Zuko walked back into the dark he emerged from, leaving a gush of air that brushes against Suki's chest. She smiled, knowing that he left.

Then, she heard heavy footsteps after aloud bolt and clack.

"Zuko-"

Zuko returned, walking purposely until his hands grasped her thighs and pulled her forward. It took his lips taking hers, and his arms lifting her up and settling her over his groin to not bother about the torches burning off into the night.

* * *

…

 **End Note** \- Thanks so much for your reviews! Working on the next chapter now. For those wondering about _Solace_ , I have not abandoned it. It's outlining will be next Friday, March 17th, 2017 and then I'll set a date to post its chapters.

 _The Secret_ will be posted every Friday until it's done. There are 30 chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

* * *

 **...**

She didn't feel him carrying her or pressing warm lips over her cheek before the sun rose and the side of her face felt its toasty warmth.

Suki let her eyes open, noticing the familiar dresser she kept in her bedroom. White sheets pooled about her hips. Her hands shot up, stretching sore tendons and muscles until she groaned at the satisfied crack.

If this were a dream, she'd simply wash, dress up and start her day without a care in the world. She used to do that when she thought the little crush she had on him was simply just a little crush. But the world gave her a terrible hand, when she realized that the more she thought, the more her mind betrayed her.

Suki sighed at the light ache between her legs, breathing calmly under the warm light. In three hours, she would have to accompany the same man who had sex with her last night on a table to attend Sayo's healing. To make matters worse, his wife was coming.

Someone knocked on her door.

Knowing it was locked, Suki said, "I'll be ready in a sec."

"A second just passed."

Suki laughed at her trusted friend, Jo's, quiet response.

"Shut up."

* * *

...

Aang listened to his daughter's whines as the morning sunk in. The guest room he harbored right across from Azula's, was quite small, but he appreciated the close proximity he had to Sayo. It was hard forgetting the smile the baby lit up on his face as she patted him on the chest. With one touch and one look into her eyes, Aang didn't know how he managed not to break down.

Sayo looked alot like her mother, but there was something about her that reminded him on the little babies he had the unfortunate task of babysitting when he'd been a little boy living peacefully in the Air temple. His daughter looked like a gem.

Kiyi's voice sauntered in over Sayo's little whines. As he dressed after washing up, he heard the baby begin to giggle. Another voice filled the corridors, echoing in the rising morning.

"She looks a little hungry," Kiyi murmured.

"Of course my little bug is hungry," the voice cooed at the baby. Azula never coos, but Aang listened to the mother cheer their daughter before they silenced for some time.

 _Knock Knock._

"Come in," Aang said. Double doors budged open with a large bolt. In the soft blue dark, Azula's face appeared. She held a blank expression, looking as if she never made any baby noises just now. Her hair swung lightly about her waist as she hugged her dark sleeping robe around her.

"Breakfast is ready. We're all eating in the other room."

He understood. They spoke of it last night while Sayo fell asleep in his arms. Azula wanted to make the child comfortable with all family members inside. Zuko, Mai and Suki would come later. That meant he would be with Azula, Lady Ursa, Kiyi and his daughter for now.

Aang let his legs guide him as Azula disappeared. Her room wafted off a light sweet scent. Kiyi and Ursa already busied themselves entertaining the infant, who practiced standing on her grandmother's lap. Azula's room connected to a balcony, but Aang noticed the sealed doors behind light sheer curtains. Breakfast steamed on the oak table near the four poster bed. Bowls of jook, nut and dried berry stood on one end while an array of pastries surrounded them. Teas were assigned their own trays.

"Morning Avatar!" Kiyi greeted with a quick wave.

"Good morning, Princess Kiyi."

"Oh, don't call me Princess," Kiyi laughed. Sayo looked up. "We're literally related now."

He didn't even notice Azula leaving out the room again for a quick errand. Aang wished Kiyi wasn't so forward, but he braved the thick tension that quickly followed after through Ursa's withering glare. Seeing the elderly woman's bad side was like meeting Azula again on the desert.

"I hope your morning is well, Lady Ursa. "

Azula's mother didn't speak but she raised the baby up and thrusted her towards him. Encouraged by Sayo's bright expression, he took her by the armpits and brought her to his chest. "I hope your morning is great too, Princess Sayo."

Sayo busied herself by eating his nose.

* * *

…

Azula nodded at the palace mongers who stopped to bow to her. This morning would be very quick but she had a lot more to deal with tonight before she could sleep. Sayo would be very tired from the healing, and Azula had to make her comfortable the whole day. As she walked westward, she noticed the palace messenger rushing down in her direction. He bowed still running, until he slid down to his knees and held up a scrolled message.

"For you, Princess Azula."

"I'd hate for your pants to dirty because for me, Zurik."

Zurik smiled. He was a young fourteen year old boy who came from the Southern Water Tribe at the age of six. Zurik's mother, Suluk, used Zuko's help to sponsor him for schooling. Zurik attended the same school as Kiyi, but stood four classes below.

"That's alright. Mom will kill me, but I'll be alive tomorrow."

She scoffed and pulled him up, taking the letter from his hand. He peered up as she read gold inscripted text. "A gala event?"

"Is it the Golden Flower Celebration?"

"It does have a golden flower on it." Azula murmured.

Lady Xiulan, a complete stranger, wanted her at the biggest gala event tomorrow. Azula knew she definitely wouldn't come, but ever since she returned to the Fire Palace at twenty, no one has ever personally invited her to any occasion. She cared nothing about it and minded her own business, still, this was certainly new.

She stuffed the letter in her pocket. "Nevermind. Since you're here, I need you to remind Firelord Zuko that the healing needs to begin."

"Got it."

Zurik rushed off in a dash of clouds. Well, he would have if he'd been a cartoon. Azula watched him run to the right. Soon afterwards, a dark haired women slipped out. The woman looked deep in thought. She was so off, that she just noticed Azula standing there once six feet away.

Azula did not understand what was wrong with Suki. They have never been close, especially given the circumstances surrounding their background. But they remained cordial throughout Azula's stay at the palace.

"Good morning, Princess." Suki bowed. She did not wear her uniform yet, and her hair was unpinned, touching her mid back when she straightened herself.

"Good morning. Lovely, isn't it?"

Suki laughed. Azula's small talk lessons were helping. "Yep. I was on my way to your room to help out if you needed me."

"Then you can follow me. I'm waiting for Zuko and Mai to attend before he starts with Sayo."

Suki nodded. She seemed...nervous. "How did Sayo deal with him?"

Azula looked at her with a mock frown. "I wanted her to give him a hard time, but Sayo already loves him. He is her father after all."

Azula felt Suki quiet down. "Do you still feel upset?"

Azula slowed, casting Suki a thoughtful glance. They never spoke much during the time she returned from being Aang's assistant to her brother's political advisor. Though Suki did little things like bring her tea or help her with certain tasks in her office, they neverdiscussed what Azula experienced. Azula could tell that whatever that made Suki distracted lately was probably the old terrible blues of heartbreak.

"I ruined his bedroom at the Fire Temple when he ended things with me," Azula said. "That was enough."

They approached the open corridors leading into the gardens and the quarters where Sayo spent time with the others. "Did you hate him?"

Azula shook her head. No, and that truth disappointed her. "I spent the first months trying to kill his child. I don't think it was hate. I knew why he did it and why I couldn't risk having a child who could be like...him. Everyone would give her unwanted attention and things like what happened recently made me not want her to live."

The shadows at the end of the open corridors took them in. Azula could feel Suki's lasered attention.

"But Sayo's a bit stubborn...and very strong. Of all the poisons I drank, she still stayed and grew big enough to come out and finally cry in my arms. The physicians say she's quite sharp and alert. She eats like she's eating for ten and despite her leg, she loves to be happy. I think that's something she took from her father. I could never forget him anytime she smiled at me."

Suki nodded. "I understand."

* * *

…

Lady Ursa really gave him a hard time.

Aang finally had Sayo's little bucket of water set up over another table near the one that held breakfast. Throughout the entire time he ate with Sayo snuggled against his chest, Ursa did not answer any of the questions he had concerning the investigation surrounding Sayo's attack. Kiyi was happy to provide what he needed, and even gave him a small wink as a sign for ignoring Lady Ursa's antics.

Azula finally came back into the room with Suki. He had Sayo propped up on his lap, attempting to put her foot into her mouth. He could only nod at Suki, while she gestured towards little Sayo's hilarious pursuit.

"Where is your brother?" Ursa asked Azula.

The doors opened just in time for Zuko, dressed in dark robes with no topknot. Mai followed right after, dressed down with no regalia of her own. Aang noticed Suki inching a little away from the couple. He listened to Zuko's vague murmurs to Azula, who inched the table with the water forward for Aang to use. Lady Ursa started to host a worried expression, with her arms folded while Kiyi forced her to take a seat.

Aang spotted Sayo's wrapped leg.

The baby let go of her foot. He lifted her weaker leg up, and began to unwrap it. This was where Sayo noticed the change in environment. She began to whimper as the family moved closer. Azula sat on her knees and started holding the child's arms together.

"It's alright, Sayo." Azula whispered. The baby sniffed, poking out her bottom lip before her face crumbled and she wailed. Soon, Aang unveiled the nasty burn on the baby's leg. Dark and red, with burnt skin peeling off. The ointment the doctor probably put on Sayo had a dark orange tint.

He bent a trail of glowing water up.

Never did he have to do this to a child this age, and he knew that Sayo would scream at the feeling of the cool liquid and several pinches with it seeping into her skin.

It didn't matter that Azula hushed her. Sayo let out a terrified scream at the pain, her arms pinned with Azula's hands while Aang went straight to work. He could feel the hesitance from the others listening to the baby's screams.

"Keep going," Azula said.

He shook his head. Aang could hear the tremble in Azula's voice. Low and shaky. A long hour ebbed away, with glowing water encasing the child's leg as she struggled to budge away. Aang had to clean the water each time he gloved her leg. The more her leg began turning a light shade of pink, the more the water turned red.

Finally, her leg started turning to her normal skin tone.

"There you go. I'm all done." Aang chastised.

The room sighed a breath of relief amidst the high pitched screams. By now, Sayo was an angry shade and red and she was pissed. Aang, relieved that her leg was healed, hauled her up and kissed her on her right cheek and all over her tears. He shared a quiet look with Azula, who thanked him with a nod.

"Well done!" Sayo's cries began calming down. He held her over his shoulder, standing up to walk to the middle of the room. Aang didn't care that others watched when his voice shook and he said again, "Well done."

* * *

…

"Again."

At ten years old, Azula swerved, punched and threw a flying kick. She did this again and again but she formed no sweat. He said again. She did, not feeling any strain in her muscles. Her father nodded, satisfied with the kata.

" _Well done, now wake up."_

When Azula opened her eyes, her ears screeched. Head heavy from sleep, the ringing in her ear turned into her daughter's face, glistened with tears while her gray eyes watched her in terror.

That's when Azula saw the figure. At the foot of her bed behind sheer curtains, a masked person stood with a left hand burning with fire.

Azula kicked! Blue flames roared out.

She grabbed Sayo, catching the figure regain her ground after being thrown on the double doors. "Kiyi, wake up!"

" _I got her!"_

Azula rushed to her mother's corner, shaking the elderly woman awake as the room shook and fire lashed behind. She thrust Sayo into her arms just when the doors shook open.

"She's getting away!" Kiyi yelled.

"Stay behind! I'll get her."

Azula ran out of her bedroom, catching the opened guestroom doors right across. Fire blinked ahead up the corridors against the dark indigo night. Aang must have pursued the ran, ignoring the yelling guards not too far away. She ran till her legs burned, following lights from the fight ahead to the end of the corridor, where a balcony stood.

Azula saw the dark figure jump off.

Aang leapt after her.

She slid to a stop on the balcony, letting the railed catch her before she looked below. The intruder, was nowhere to be found over the palace hills. Aang stood, breathing so hard that she heard his voice. She heard heavy footsteps behind. Zuko rushed to her side, looking below into the dead night. It was as if the figure never even entered the palace.

"Get your archers," Azula said to Zuko, "I want that woman's head."

* * *

…

 **End Note** \- Hey guys. For some reason, my computer messed up on me when I wanted to update yesterday. I couldn't even change my profile to show updates. I apologize for that. Other than that, thanks for much for your reviews! Next week, everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

* * *

 **...**

"You all have to be the worst group of idiots I've ever hired. Can you tell me why I'm still paying all of you to laze around and let someone in the palace again?!"

The arena echoed with Zuko's thundering shout. All guards stood without armor, looking down over their feet. Suki stood still and kept her eyes onto the main corridors. She could spot Jo on the far left, looking as confused as Suki was.

Suki had been on watch when the attack happened. The garden quarters were guarded from top to bottom. If anyone wanted to sneak into Princess Azula's bedroom, they would first spot a guard at the garden's entrance.

"She snuck in through the tunnels…"

Suki flinched at the sudden halt in Zuko's steps. They grew louder and louder, until a tall presence stopped in front of her. Suki looked up into eyes as wide and sharp as a firehawk, wishing she did not choose his moment to talk to herself. Zuko still wore his morning robe, and Suki could see parts of his chest. His hair fell over his shoulders and he smelled like his sweat. It smelled just like this in the study.

"Are you now bold enough to cut me off while I'm speaking?" Zuko murmured.

Suki cleared her throat. "No sir."

"Did I annoy you?"

"No."

"Then why did you speak?"

Speaking now did nothing. Though the culprit may have used the tunnels, the bottom line was that she did not do her job. Still, she could not let this man embarrass her in front of all these people.

"I'm your personal guard, not your servant. I spoke suddenly and do apologize, Firelord Zuko, but that shouldn't be enough for you to try me this morning."

Zuko blinked. Though all the guards still didn't lose their fear of the Firelord, they were well aware of the troubling tension she and Zuko have had since Ba Sing Se. She could sense the Kyoshi warriors looking on. If Ty-Lee were here, she'd immediately calm the them. But Ty-Lee was all the way on Kyoshi island managing the other group of warriors, and Suki had to deal with this man alone for now.

Moments later, the firelord stepped back and walked away. Suki waited until he disappeared behind the queue of guards in front of the exit.

Jo rushed over as soon as the they dispersed. She sent Suki a worried look as Suki let ot a long breath.

"Always the outspoken one." Jo laughed.

"I traveled the world with him. He had it coming."

Jo waited for the others to leave the arena. "Is everything alright, Suki?"

Suki hesitated. "Of course. Why did you ask?"

"Everyone else would ask if they had as much balls as I did. You've been very quiet since Ba Sing Se and looking like a headless ghost these days."

Suki paused. It wouldn't do good to brush Jo off. Jo hadn't fought with her for long. They met when Suki moved to the Fire Nation. Jo was a recent recruit working as a palace guard until Suki saw her firebending could be a good addition to the Kyoshi Warriors.

"I'm alright, Jo. Don't worry."

* * *

...

"Aw. She's so tired now,"

Kiyi whispered. Sayo had one eye open while the other closed. Azula swayed her gently as he head nestled against her bosom. Her little girl was too afraid to sleep. Azula noted the dark bags under Kiyi's eyes. Like the rest of the family, Kiyi refused to sleep throughout the entire day the investigation took place.

"I know. I don't blame her for trying to stay up," Azula stroked the baby's hair. Sayo's eyes started to close. "I can't have an infant worry for her safety like this."

"We didn't know it would happen, Azula."

"Please don't speak," Azula's voice shook. Her chest burned as she remembered the figure in the room. "How can I have my baby have her leg burned by a…"

" _Calm down."_

For the intruder to be bold enough to sneak into her room, and pass under the noses of a hundred palace guards who were supposed to monitor this floor, was a failure on the part of the palace staff. Azula would fire each and everyone of them if she had a chance, but her head felt as though it would explode and didn't trust herself to speak.

Aang left out on a quick errand after staying by she and Sayo's side. He didn't speak much but hold the baby for the first part of the day. "Azula, you need to relax. We now see this situation is worse off than we thought. Whoever this is, she's playing with you."

The doors opened.

Aang entered, not saying a word but paying close attention to the sleeping baby. He looked like someone shook him awake, and the bags under his eyes were quite a sight. "How is she?"

"Finally sleeping," Kiyi said. "I didn't think she'd ever do it. "

"Here. Take her." Azula said.

Azula ignored how his arms brushed against hers. Right on cue, Sayo opened her eyes before relaxing again when she realized who carried her. Aang nestled her in the crook of his arm, checking her bandaged leg again. Though Sayo's leg completely healed, Aang advised covering the skin due to its sensitivity. It would take a few days before Sayo had good use of it.

"Did she eat?" Aang asked.

Azula stroked Sayo's cheek. "Like always. She never messes with her food."

Aang laughed, "I'm sure."

"She takes after you."

Aang nodded. The new quarters they moved to stood all the way on the second floor, near Zuko's chamber. This area remained heavily guarded, with skylines keeping her company. She ignored Kiyi's quiet steps as she left the room. Azula didn't know what to say, being so close to him like this as he watched their daughter sleep. She sensed him increase his body temperature. The room upstairs were unused for some time and had no furnace. She would have to rely on her bending to go through the night.

"I know this is the wrong time to say this," Aang murmured, catching her attention. "But she's the most beautiful kid I've seen."

Azula could not speak. She watched him look up until they shared a quiet look. A range of tumultuous periods of loss sprang up. His gray eyes glinted yellow in the lit room. If she wasn't careful, her heart would be stomped by him again for good. And as much as she wanted badly to forget the woman he had waiting for him back in the Northern Tribe, she had to open her eyes.

"I think it was the chair."

Aang blinked. "What?"

She smirked, watching his mind work. Slowly, his eyes widened with a grin of his own. The chair may be their favorite part of their discussion of Sayo. "Can't be, weren't we careful?"

"I forgot to drink the tea, and that thing you used broke."

"Broke? The man said it was the strongest."

"Your condom was from a rip off."

Aang laughed, looking down over the sleeping baby again. "I'm glad."

Azula quieted at the comment. Aang kept swaying Sayo, picking invisible bits off her hair and face. The baby looked at peace, secured right in her father's arms. Nowadays, Sayo started giving off whines each time Aang walked out of the room. It was a good sign, that despite him leaving her rightfully for Lady Katara, Azula always knew he had a good heart.

"You mother told me about how she found out…" Azula blinked up in surprise. "...I understand. I don't blame you for trying to get rid of her. I didn't leave on the best of terms."

"You couldn't if you tried."

Aang chuckled. The dark bags he adorned and the sunken slope of his shoulders made her want to touch his arm. But Azula clenched her hands into fists and folded her arms. She watched him marvel at their daughter.

"Thank you, Azula."

* * *

…

The firelily lay sturdy in her hands. She cut its stem at an angle, slipping it inside the hole in the soil. Ursa did not like stress, and anytime she faced it, gardening soothed her soul.

Ursa almost felt sorry for the guards who had been lined up in the garden quarters for interrogation. Zuko, however, had his anger on a completely different level. He reminded Ursa a lot of Ozai, to the point where sometimes, she found herself a bit frightened. Zuko's voice echoed in the palace when he shook his guards. Ursa always heard from the palace servants that Zuko's shouting made them feel like their heads were shaking.

"Mother, father, how I wish you were all here with me." she said, patting the soil down around the firelily.

Father would have loved Kiyi. Ursa imagined him slapping his knee at some of the antics she has been up to. He would be very proud of Zuko, whose smile sometimes reminded her of her the elderly man. Her father was a kind gentle soul, who would carry her over his shoulders to the market square when she was young.

Mother, however, would have loved Azula.

She knows this, because Azula reminded her of her mother. Though Azula did not display that character as a child, she started revealing it after she gave birth to Sayo. Her mother never spoke much but Ursa could remember the distinct look she gave off anytime Urse tried throwing a fit. Azula's motherly traits were straght from the elderly woman she never met. They both soothed their children when they cried, knew how to nip things in the bud and liked to lull their babies to sleep by holding them close.

Ursa looked up after hearing soft footsteps. Mai looked more like a ghost in the bushes than a fire lady, but Ursa had no time to criticize any of her children's choices. If she had it her way, Azula would be married to a fine young man, not Chan or that old gloat who poses as an Avatar. She didn't mind having Zuko with Mai, but she wasn't an idiot when it came to their interaction. Zuko and Mai drifted apart, slowly, like a sheet of ice melting away, and Ursa had too many things on her mind to worry about them. That was not her business.

"Lady Ursa?"

Ursa looked up at her in law to be, "How are you, Mai?"

"Great. I hope you're doing well."

"Come plant firelilies with me."

She noticed Mai's quickened steps, and smiled at the sweet scent she gave off when she knelt next to her in her sleeping robes. They worked diligently.

"How is your mother?"

"As insufferable as always ."

"I'm sure. But after having to deal with Chan's parents, I'm becoming very fond of your mother."

Mai smirked. She cut a firelily as Ursa instructed. After a silent moment, Ursa froze when Mai asked. "Do you think Zuko still loves me, Lady Ursa?"

Ursa looked over at Mai, who still cut the firelilies as taught. Ursa would hate the thought of Zuko turning into what his father once was, but she couldn't help but think of the far off look about his face and fear for the worst.

"Yes, I believe he loves you."

* * *

…

Suki stopped by the double doors. She knocked anyways, watching the golden ornamented corridors leading to Zuko's office.

She did not know how to knock. The sun began to sink, and by now, everyone in the palace witnessed the scene. After Zuko grueled all the palace guards in charge of protecting the quarters Sayo was located in, no one else wanted to get into his way.

No guards stood by the entrance. It was usually Zuko and Suki alone, in the office. Suki sighed, lifting her hand up to knock on his door. She heard heavy footsteps. Despite his hot temper, Zuko walked at his own pace while he let his sharp eyes peruse all perimeters. The steps stopped and the doors opened.

Zuko obviously didn't expect her at this time of the evening. She could tell that his balcony flipped wide open, and he seemed at ease in his attire.

"I wanted to speak to you," she said.

He kept his eyes on her when he slowly backed away. She stepped inside, letting the door close gently behind her. She walked until she stepped onto the middle. "I apologize for coming onto you like that in the study." _She stripped down naked and had sex with him for Yue's sake._

Zuko blinked, "...It's fine. I understand."

Suki nodded.

The Firelord smiled. They stood there a while longer, watching each other. Should she leave now? Suki wondered, as she noted the way the fading sunlight made the side of his face glow. It was settled.

Zuko crossed the room in three strides.

Suki just braced her arms on his shoulders as he leaned down to kiss her. She likened this to the sweet taste of an apple once bitten.. Hands bracing the small of her back heatened and wrapped her further, slipping down over her bottom. She kissed back, boldened to the soft smacks their lips made in the unlit room.

 _No._

Suki pulled back. Her lips stund, burning. Her pushed his chest back gently. Without looking up, she stepped away, not looking back when she closed the doors behind her.

* * *

…

By the time evening arrived, Azula grew uneasy. Zuko had been locked in his office all day, and the upper quarters were decked top to bottom with palace guards. She personally made a written order for the archers to arrive first thing in the morning tomorrow. The skies casted a royal blue, broken by the golden pillars she crossed.

The room she had to stay in now had her sister, mother, little Sayo and finally, Aang. He would sleep on the floor, of course, but Azula knew that the change had her mother boiling with anger when she informed her in the afternoon.

"Do you have to?" Ursa had asked, casting the father of her child a wary expression.

Azula had to rely on Sayo to keep the group together. She seemed to be the only one who calmed her grandmother down. When she reached the doors, she pointed the two guards posted near the entrance. Others stood in front of the sealed balconies. All tunnels were thoroughly checked and perused.

She needed a sleep.

" _Princess Azula!"_

Azula slowed her steps. Zurik happened to be rushing after her, in that maddened pace he always used when he shared news. This time, he seemed a bit uncertain.

"A visitor wants to see you."

She blinked, "No visitors."

"That's the thing. She doesn't want to leave. She told me she needed to see you."

The fire princess titled her head before she allowed Zurik to guide her. They ambled down steep steps in a few minutes to get to the palace entrance. Black and gold pillars gleamed, bracing the small figure of a young woman in the end.

"Stay here," Azula told Zurik.

With mousy brown hair and wide eyes behind thick spectacles, the woman waved with a gleaming ring on her left hand, despite a guard holding her back with a spear. Azula got close enough. The woman did not look troublesome, but there was a odd crookedness about her smile that made Azula keep a considerable distance.

The woman had three accomplices, guards dressed in black and gray. She shone in glimmering gold, with her robe touching the floors. Her face powdered and lips stained red, the woman stepped forward to extend a hand.

"Greetings, I had to come when I did not see you at the celebration tonight. I looked forward to having you there and thought I'd stop by while it all still went on."

Azula frowned. "Who are you?"

"Lady Xiulan. I was the one who invited you to the Golden Flower Celebration."

"I'm not in the mood. I don't do parties, I have work to do."

Xiulan slowly grinned. "Do you, Princess Azula?"

Azula slowed her steps, turning to the older visitor. Lady Xiulan bowed. "Have a pleasant night, Princess Azula. Make sure no one comes to burn your child's leg tonight."

Time moved slowly. Azula still stood as the back of the woman shrunk and disappeared. She felt the palace guards regard 's hands burned. Her entire body shook.

 _Lady Xiulan burned Sayo's leg._

* * *

 **End Note** _\- Next Friday!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6**

* * *

...

Suki groaned, stretching her muscles after a day's worth of hard training. She did this own her own, sighing at the cool air brushing over her skin. The arena gleamed with the afternoon sunlight peering inside. She unwrapped tight gauze around her feet and hands.

" _Suki!"_

She turned in time to find Zurik running towards her.

"Afternoon, little guy."

Zurik had the title of honorary Kyoshi Warrior, and he remained a favorite among the women. His wide blue eyes sparkled when he handed her a sealed scroll.

"I'm not little! I'm fourteen. Here's a letter for you by the way."

Suki smiled, watching the young man run off as she opened the scroll. Her smile faded, reading the details of the cursive writing. Someone wanted to invite her for tea.

And thought it was necessary to leave a golden flowered insignia.

* * *

...

"She's Lady Xiulan, Editor in Chief of _The Daily._ " Jiang Chen said.

" _The Daily?"_

"A new newspaper making quite an impression in the Fire Nation. Since the creation of the photograph, journalists have used this change to their advantage, and they've scored riches over pictures of celebrities. Lady Xiulan had a father who sold cabbages off the streets of Fountain City. Her mother died giving birth to her."

Azula didn't speak as Jiang Chen casted her a quiet look. Her hands and chest burned, in a way that forced her lips to seal tightly. Zuko cleared his throat, "And she grew up with a good education."

"Your father sponsored her."

"Father sponsored lots of poor children. One of the only good things he did." Zuko murmured.

Gentle winds crept in from the open balcony of Zuko's office. Azula remembered screaming last night to Zuko, who had to leave his room and calm her down. Of all culprits, she did not expect a gold adorned bitch to come look her straight in the eye to hint that she had a hand in it. She never told Aang, who decided to take Sayo out to meet Appa. If she did tell him, he would be more livid than she was.

There was something troublesome about the entire exchange between she and Xiulan. It looked so easy to attack Xiulan right then, in front of all her guards. But any culprit wouldn't bother to reveal their crimes unless they had a motive. They also wouldn't be as bold. And if this woman dominated the Fire Nation media, she may have no chance in imprisoning her.

Jinag Chen read her mind. "It would be...extremely difficult, to handle this woman in the way you want to."

"How so?"

"She's gotten very popular by...exposing nobles in the Royal Plaza. She does not do this with just articles, she does this by revealing photos."

Azula's tilted her head as Jiang Chen sent her a look. "What sort of photos?"

"Well, photos that are highly inappropriate….a merchant from a neighboring village had his reputation shattered when Xiulan revealed he'd been molesting a number of girls working for him. It's been the big news then last year. It looks like she's targeting you, Azula."

Azula folded her arms. "I've had my reputation damaged before, and no one can make me regret my daughter. I could care less about what they say.."

The silence that followed swelled. Zuko tapped his desk and nodded. "We'll go forward with the investigation on Lady Xiulan. Until we figure out how to incriminate her, we'll watch her closely."

"And by the way…" Jiang Chen said. Zuko looked up. "She was the one who reported Sayo's possible parentage first."

* * *

…

"He loves her already, don't you Appa?" Kiyi asked.

The sky bison groaned happily, revealing his teeth to an excited baby. Momo screeched at the sight of Sayo, who tried to grab him when he'd been within reach. Aang settled his daughter on his arm. Sayo liked making squeaks anytime she wanted attention. She looked almost frightened when she saw Appa, but one extra step forward was all she needed.

Aang noticed Kiyi smiling up at him, "Looks like Appa has a new favorite."

"She'll be around him for a very long time."

Sayo played with Appa for a few more minutes, then settled down on top of a mat. Aang, helped her stay sitting up, letting her play while Momo found the courage to scurry back and smell her. The court yard brightened under the sun. Aang wasn't surprised when Sayo grew tired and started nodding off. After Kiyi helped with feeding Appa and Momo, they both ambled through the entrance to get to the gardens.

Since last night, Azula grew distant. She seemed cold, not wanting to speak. Aang gave her her space, settled with the sweet and unfortunately wet attention his daughter gave him.

Someone said something to him.

"What?""

Kiyi laughed, "I was asking if you're ready to put her in her basin."

Aang gently put Sayo in her basin, fixing it in between his legs as he sat on the green grass.

"I'm sure you're pretty fed up with guard duty by now."

"For her? No way. Sayo's a good kid." Kiyi said.

"She takes after her mother."

He didn't mind the uncomfortable pause. Kiyi seemed to study him for a bit as he tucked soft blankets around the child. "I never really thought it'd be you."

He blinked up. "What?"

Kiyi donned a stunned expression, bright and evident in her golden gaze as she clicked her tongue. "Azula never dated, so when I found out she got pregnant, I didn't think it'd be you. You two seemed more like business partners. I guess you're good at hiding."

"Who did you think it was?"

"I knew it wasn't Chan, but I thought maybe she got drunk one day and messed with someone off the street." Kiyi looked away. "But then I started letting my mind work, and when that little one was born, I thought, _'what if?_ '"

They stayed quiet for a while longer.

"I don't want you with Azula again."

Katara loomed over them, but she rightfully did so. He could blame no one but himself by dragging Azula into this position. Kiyi stared back with a quiet reserve, looking a lot more like Lady Ursa. "You're engaged, and Azula understands that. I hope you don't hurt her more than you already have."

"...I won't."

Kiyi grinned. "Good! Now let's talk about the weather."

* * *

…

Zuko thought of Suki on his way to the gardens. The palace mongers told him Aang, Kiyi, along with Sayo, lounged there for a bit before retiring inside. The sun began dimming, but it's strong heat still filled the cricket laden garden of the palace.

Azula's new tip about Lady Xiulan disturbed , a rich journalist had a hand in his niece's attack, and he didn't sense anything good out of them not being able to incriminate a culprit who had no problems confessing.

"Lord Zuko!"

His messenger, Laos, walked forward with a scroll read for him. Zuko took it, noting its tiny size and golden flowered seal. He opened it, finding the fist symbol on top of intricate inked handwriting.

 _Lady Xiulan would personally like to invite you to her tea gathering._

* * *

…

"Do you think it's safe to try to go after her?"

Clear lakes glistened outside. Azula looked out the window, focusing on the rain pouring on top. It decided to make a warm welcome in the late afternoon, forcing her to retire indoors. She couldn't lie, it calmed her.

She could see her mother's face through the window, as upset and distraught as Azula felt.

"I have a feeling I won't be able to," Azula said. "Despite what Zuko says, I know she sent someone to play with me. Sayo's wellbeing meant nothing. And I can't prove she did it. She never truly confessed."

"Azula...don't forget yourself. If I had a hand on that woman, you know I would have ripped her to shreds."

Arms folded, Azula took a peek at the sleeping child nestled in her mother's arms. When she returned to the new chambers she retired to, Kiyi had to be relieved of her duties. Aang received an urgent message and had to leave to attend to tasks he must have left in the Northern Water Tribe. The frown marring her face reflected deep thoughts in her mind. Thoughts with dark skin and blue eyes.

The last time she met the woman, it had been after she burned Aang's room at the Fire Temple, and that was the worst day of her life. She needed to leave her issues with Katara for now.

"I'm a bit confused…"

Ursa blinked. "What do you mean?"

"If this Xiulan wanted someone to humiliate, why would it be me?"

"You are the Fire Princess."

That was the problem. Azula turned fully to her mother. "...whose reputation has already been tarnished the minute Zuko dragged me to the asylum. I've lived with no friends and have never been invited to an occasion. Did I complain about it all?"

Ursa frowned. "Not once. You had Kiyi, Mai and Ty-Lee to entertain you."

"Exactly. Would people speak to me differently if I walked the market streets?"

The elder woman paused. Azula saw the look of dawning on her features.

The truth was that Azula wouldn't experience any mistreatment if she walked the streets because she had a mean streak, and used it well. Aang may be a good target, but like Azula, he put his daughter first before anyone else and did not give a damn about the press.

He knew, that the people would have no choice but to rely on him as Avatar, and like Azula, he also remained a force to be reckoned with.

The world already expected for the most wanted man in the world to have a child or two in secret.

"What are you thinking? " Ursa asked. Sayo began squirming.

"I'm not quite sure." Azula put on her cheery smile once the baby began opening her gray eyes. "But I think my little one is hungry."

Sayo confirmed her suspicions.

* * *

...

The next morning, Aang shifted at the early breeze. He came back late in the night to find Sayo already asleep in Azula's embrace. Kiyi and Ursa hadn't been in the chambers, since it'd been heavily protected, so he took the loveseat instead of the floors.

His back ached from the lack of proper bedding, but he bared with the pain. The chambers remained semi dark just as the sun began rising. He opened his eyes in time to see Azula already awake, with Sayo nestled by pillows on each of her side.

The Fire Princess wore a red robe, its silk clinging on her soft curves. Aang found himself staring until his eyes followed her hips she bent a little to fold some clothing. He blinked.

"Good morning," he yawned.

Azula turned. "You can sleep on the bed with her. I'm going to fetch breakfast."

He nodded. Azula set off to begin walking until she paused, looking down over the floors. Aang followed her train of vision and spotted a thin newspaper at her feet.

"They must have dropped the morning news." Azula murmured

When she bent to pick the newspaper up, Aang saw her stop, peering closely at it.

"What is it? "

Azula kept watching the newspaper, her hand trembling the more she inspected it. Aang stepped forward to look over her shoulder.

"What?"

One the front page of _The Daily_ , the headlines screamed, _Firelord Zuko's Secret Affair with his Personal Guard!_ over the picture of Zuko and Suki on a desk, naked and entangled, for the entire Fire Nation to see.

* * *

...

 **End Note** \- Thank so much for your reviews! _Till next Friday!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

* * *

...

Sharp knocks woke Suki up. The first thing she thought was Jo. Suki dozed off, but the knocks grew insistent, forcing her legs out from under the blankets.

"I'm up, Jo!"

"...This is Princess Azula."

The honey like voice seemed foreign, feet away from Suki's bed. The Kyoshi warrior jumped off, knowing that Azula never came to her room unless an issue sprang up. For a moment, she thought Azula needed something with Sayo until she opened the doors.

"I hope you had a pleasant sleep," Azula greeted.

Suki instantly knew something was up. She could see the pink and orange sunrise behind the princess. Azula looked back with an expression that stood a cross between bewildered and cold. There was no question, that after so many years, Azula still had a profound effect on anyone who saw her out early in the morning and without her armor.

"Is something wrong?"

Azula held Suki's wrist. "Come with me."

* * *

…

"Good morning, your majesty."

Azula did not nod back as she always did. Everyone knew when something threatened to shatter the family publicly, no one within the premises existed except for Azula's enemies. Suki smelled as fresh as the morning breeze near the gardens, but she was going to soon be in deeper shit than Azula.

The palace mongers sending Suki sharp glances proved it all.

Azula knew, that even if no one read the papers, they heard it. She knew she practically dragged the personal guard over, but she needed to hide Suki for as long as possible.

Aang already went straight to work when Kiyi and her mother rushed into their room with faces drained of any blood. Outside the palace, a growing crowd of journalists were already seated by the courtyard and they blocked the palace entrance to the narrow beige streets guiding them out to the outskirts of the Royal Plaza. Aang simply settled Sayo into Ursa's arms and rushed out to speak with them.

Her target stumbled after her. They went through the back carpeted staircase all the way to the first floor, where her bed chambers were. Doors leading to Azula's chambers stood wide open.

Azula spotted her mother first.

"What is going on?" Suki asked.

"Bring her inside," Ursa said.

Azula dragged Suki over to the toasty setting. Ursa reached the doors and bolted them shut, sealing every lock. Kiyi had Sayo on a settee, wide eyed at the long dark haired warrior, who nervously looked about her surroundings. Of all women, Azula never expected her brother to go for Suki. _Ever_. Suki looked small and frail without her armor, confused in the room trapped with all the women of the Royal family.

"Can anyone tell me what is going on?" Suki asked.

Azula stepped forward until she was face to face with the culprit. "You and Zuko, are in big trouble."

* * *

…

" _Can you tell us if the couple on the magazine cover are in fact the Firelord and his guard?"_

Aang, in a sea of journalists from all parts of the Fire Nation with a new and annoying inventions called cameras, laughed and said, "We are all surprised ourselves. We don't know if they are both the Firelord and Suki."

A round faced reporter frowned, "But isn't the study on the photograph part of the Fire Palace?"

"Of course it is, but there are hundreds of people in the palace. And the couple in the picture have their backs turned."

"How do you expect the Fire Nation to believe that?"

Aang blinked, "They have no choice. Information like this should be investigated before confirmed and spewed out to the public-"

Another reporter rose, fixing his spectacles over his nose. His dark brown tunic brightened under the sunlight. "With all due respect Avatar Aang, what would this say about the integrity of our government of all we have are scandals, and not useful historical events to look to for guidance?"

"This has nothing to do with the government."

"I beg to differ, if Firelord Ozai were here, the Fire Nation would be a country with morals. We never had any issues like this until we permitted immigration in this country!"

"A scandal like this does not reflect Zuko's abilities to perform well. And what does immigration have to do with this incident?."

"A firelord must be of the Fire Nation as well as the one he chooses to marry, not a village fighter from a small island!"

Aang frowned at the loud murmurs he heard from the crowd, keeping his composure. "Let us not insult someone we have never met. Commander Suki is not involved with Zuko, and she is as respectable as any noble woman who walks this earth.

"Of course you would say such a thing Avatar Aang," the reporter said with a sneer. "You had a child with the Firelord's sister."

Aang froze, staring hard at the man in the crowd, who began to fidget. He placed his hand up to the guards who shifted. They were prepared to follow any orders and guide the visitors out.

"My daughter and Princess Azula are none of your business."

"I disagree Avatar Aang. You were chosen to protect the people, not fool around with dethroned princesses and have bastard children with them."

That did it. Aang knew how to hold his anger, but when someone drove a rod into him, he snapped. He walked forward, prompting the sea of journalists to part while the culprit sat in the middle. He grabbed the man by the collar, knocking his clipboard down while hauling him up. Ignoring the shouts and the flashes around him from cameras, Aang brought the man forward.

"I don't need a scribbler to tell me what I need to do with my responsibilities. Do me a favor. Tell your friends to step away from the palace. We will call you back when we do."

He shoved the man back, ignoring the harsh impact the reporter made on the courtyard. Guards, who watched in shock, straightened when Aang approached them. Aang ignored the They walked until they reached the entrance.

"Get Firelord Zuko immediately."

With a bow, they went off. Aang sensed the unwelcome visitors leaving behind. As he walked through the courtyard entrance, he spotted a lone figure standing by the main staircase. Slowing his steps, Aang frowned at the blue eyed heavily armored stranger walking towards him.

""Avatar Aang, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The man walked out of the shadows, stopping to bow with his one fist in his other hand. "I'm Chan, Azula's husband."

Aang hesitated. "I see."

General Chan laughed and scratched the back of his head. "I know everything. Azula promised me a career to play the part. And I had to pay a visit here when she told me about someone with my mother's name messing with you guys."

"Someone with you mother's name?" Aang asked.

Chan's smile dissipated as he nodded. "Lady Xiulan...of Shu Jing village in the Fire Nation. And despite my mom's efforts to cover it up, my mother is actually Lady Xiulan of the Water Tribe. This troublemaker may have been the one who was behind Sayo's attack."

* * *

…

"How long were you two involved?"

Suki released a heavy sob, her face flushed at the horror of witnessing the journalists outside of the palace. Azula never witnessed the warrior like this, embarrassed and afraid for her own reputation. Zuko still did not appear anywhere in the palace and Azula had yet to see Mai. Ursa held the woman's hands, forcing her to look into her face.

"Answer the question!" Ursa asked. "How long were you with my son, Suki?"

"...Ba Sing Se."

" _Oh Agni,"_

Azula ignored Kiyi's utter. Sayo had her little arms around her aunt's neck, confused at the display Suki gave off. Her lower lip pouted before she began whimpering.

"Bring her to me," Azula ordered;

Sayo rarely cried, but when she did, Azula felt las though someone drove a knife in her heart. Kiyi forgot the Kyoshi warrior and rushed to give her Sayo. She walked out of the room without looking back. Her mind worked faster than she wanted, but she kept her path down the corridors into an empty study room. Sayo looked into her eyes with a needy expression, shifting and whining at the same time.

"As expected," Azula murmured, kissing the baby's nose. "You never go a minute without eating."

As she nursed Sayo, Azula studied her features. She forgot about Suki, even though she still caught her mother's muted harsh tones echoing out of the corridors. Mother would be upset, and it wasn't because she already had to deal with Azula's problems on the side.

A firelord never had such a scandal. This remained a fact. A firelord also never engaged with someone who wasn't from the Fire Nation. Mai remained the most suitable candidate, not a village girl from Kyoshi Island.

Light steps snatched Azula's attention. Holding her composure, she held her daughter close as the doors clicked open.

"Good morning."

The late morning shone behind the woman's back. Mai dressed in her traveling clothes and had her hair no longer in a half topknot, but the twin buns Azula remembered as a child. As always, Mai's face held no emotion and seemed as cold as the icy waters of the Water Tribe. Since Azula knew Mai better than anyone else, there was only one conclusion she made out of her demeanor.

Mai looked pissed.

"Morning, I'm sure you've heard of your husband-to-be's affair." Azula said.

The woman sighed. "We had a talk. Where is she?"

"Do you think that's wise?"

"I don't kill myself over Zuko's antics," Mai murmured. "I'm leaving back to my mom's place after I speak with Suki. I'm no longer engaged to Zuko."

* * *

…

The early afternoon breeze kicked in. Zuko stared at tall gates twined with white and yellow flowers creeping over freshly painted walls near it. For a high ranking owner of the most influential magazine in the nation, Lady Xiulan of Shu Jing made a name for herself.

And today, she did it at his expense.

He waited. The two henchman following him shifted, sending him quiet glances as they followed his orders. Zuko tried not remembering Mai walking his study while they stood by his desk. She simply sighed and told him it was all over.

"Who is it?"

The gate boy's loud voice echoed out into the Southern Royal Plaza's quiet cul-de-sac, the destination known for the newly rich and their proximity to Capital City.

"Open for his majesty, boy!" His guard on the left shouted.

Zuko didn't pay attention to the boy's steps running back. He waited until he heard a woman's harsh whisper and more steps. Everything behind fell into a blur, and the one face that blinked back in his thoughts right before the gates opened, was that of Suki.

"Firelord Zuko, what a surprise. I almost thought you were not coming to my tea party."

Lady Xiulan had the thickest spectacles he had ever seen. Her lean figure looked small under the oversized sleeping robe around her body. Her hair touched her shoulders and she remained barefoot on black and gold steps in between a crowd of seven servants and two guards.

The one thing that struck him dead in his steps, was her slightly tilted smile.

"Your sister didn't remember me, but I'm sure you have."

Zuko blinked back, his jaws loosening. Yes. This was the same woman he found in his father's bed.

* * *

…

 **SORRY GUYS**

 _End Note_ \- Hey guys, sorry for being late on posting. I hate to do this but honestly, a lot happened this week and I tried to finish on time. I'm not going to be updating for a while due to returning to school and now looking for another job. And I didn't want to do this because I wanted to try balancing everything, but I'm even cutting down other things, which sucks alot. I'll try doing one shots and trust me, anytime I get some minutes, I will work on the story, but for now, I'm on hiatus.


End file.
